IFG Governance

Gordon is an associate professor in management and has many years of experience in higher education. He has taught at a variety of universities from Warwick to Northumbria and Anglia Ruskin. Also, Gordon has experience in course and module leadership at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Gordon is an active researcher and has supervised PhD/doctoral and postgraduate students. His specialism includes strategy, marketing, decision making and AI in the business environment and he has published several conference papers, articles, book chapters and edited books on the specialisms, including an edited book best seller. Gordon has chaired a governing body in the higher education sector. Before becoming a university professor Gordon held several senior positions in the telecommunication industry from head of technical training all products to sales training, international business development and corporate strategy consultancy.

Professor Audsin Dhas has extensive work experience in multiple countries including Kingdom of Bahrain enabling him to understand different cultures and ways of working within those. Worked with Bahrain Training Institute (BTI), Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs during 1995–2002. Received the Best Employee of the Year award on two occasions. Ministry of Education, Kingdom of Bahrain nominated him to the Executive Committee of Indian School Bahrain with more than 10,000 students as their nominee for the period 1999-2002.

Led the establishment of the London Campus of University of Wales Trinity Saint David and was the Executive Dean and Head of the Campus during 2012–2024 offering programmes ranging from Level 4 to Level 8. Focused on clear understanding of student care, support and wellbeing, the London campus not only grew in its stature but also had very happy students which was consistently reflected on high NSS scores. By adapting a new model, the London Campus became a cash surplus centre for the University with significant financial contributions (in millions) to the central pool. Responsible for moving the campus to the iconic Canary Wharf in June 2024 with hi-tech and state-of-the-art facilities where students can accomplish their aspirations. With all systems and processes in place, he left the university with head high on 31 December 2024. Honoured by the university with the title of Professor prior to leaving the university in recognition of the services rendered to the university and students.

Operations to strategic decision-making experiences with expertise in Operations Research enabled him to develop profitable and successful institutions providing measurable opportunities for relevant stakeholders.

Anita Wise is a seasoned leader with over 35 years of experience in quality and compliance administration and governance, as well as operational and people management. She brings a wealth of expertise from global corporations to start-ups, driving innovative processes and building high-performing teams to achieve exceptional outcomes both nationally and internationally.

In her current role at Illuminare Education, Anita serves as Head of Quality and Compliance and Company Secretary. She leads a dedicated team in delivering best practices and solutions for the Higher and Further Education sectors, with specialised expertise in regulatory compliance to the Office for Students.

Anita has experience of implementing and managing a variety of ISO standards from Quality to Information Security, Environmental and Business Continuity as well as being an ISO-accredited auditor and Data Protection Officer. Her career spans pivotal sectors, including automotive working for a number of UK major manufacturers (VW, Audi, JLR etc) as well as Holden GM based in Melbourne, Australia, where she established and managed a fleet management operation. Other sectors include digital and lithoprint, implementing and managing six ISO standards and higher education (former Academic Registrar for the University of Buckingham), showcasing her versatility and ability to adapt to complex and dynamic industries.

Michael was one of the founders of IFG as a brand of Education Pathways Group Limited. He has degrees from Bristol and Sussex universities and many years experience developing and running independent colleges in London, work which he has combined with teaching of History and Political Science and participation in many international business conferences. He also acts as a consultant in the field of international education.

At IFG he oversees course development and review as well as all aspects of teaching and learning in London and other IFG centres. He has a wide knowledge of higher education in the UK and ensures that all our students gain individual help in choosing and applying to courses and universities.

Dr. Mohamed El-Ansari’s background in higher education, with a focus on HE policies, international partnerships, social responsibility, and transnational education (TNE). He is a co-founder of the International Foundation Group and serves as a teaching fellow at UCL. He has obtained a PhD from Leeds Beckett University and a Master’s degree from Westminster University, along with degrees & postgrad from Sudan.

He has worked as an educational adviser in diplomatic missions and has had the opportunity to collaborate with institutions in Turkey, Bosnia, Poland, the UK, and the MENA region. He has taught at the University of Stirling, the University of Bradford, and other institutions in the UK, Europe and Africa. In his role as president of Circle International, he supports global partnerships and contributes to a research forum aimed at HE policy improvement.

Stefan has over 20 years’ international education experience, primarily in pre-university pathways, TNE and EFL product & partnership development management. His career highlights include negotiating level 3 progression agreements with UK universities, managing international student recruitment & admissions teams, the set-up of a teacher training centre in China and the management of a new pre-university pathway department for a leading language school chain. His career has involved extensive overseas travel and attendance of industry events/workshops. In addition he lived and worked in Japan for 5 years, starting as an EFL teacher before moving into school management.

We are delighted that he is now part of the IFG team in charge of maintaining and expanding our academic partnerships.